A senior Lebanese cleric has called on Arab and Muslim countries to declare George W. Bush persona non grata and sue him for 'war crimes'.

"We want our Muslim and Arab people to …declare that he is a persona non grata who represents crimes," Seyyed Mohammad Hussein Fadlallah said in a statement released on Sunday.

"He should soon be tried as a war criminal and a prominent symbol of terrorism in the world,” he added.

Fadlallah's statement came as Bush was visiting Persian Gulf Arab countries in a bid to win their support for confronting Iran.

"Attempts to portray Iran as a threat and strategic enemy have failed," said the cleric, "It has been clear that the motive behind creating an enemy for the Muslims from within is to boost the sales of American weapons,” the senior cleric said.

He also said the years Bush has spent in office were the 'bloodiest' since World War II and coincided with the most 'unjust crimes and massacres in our region, especially in Iraq and Afghanistan and Palestine.'

JS/RE